Mixed-age Samples Research Articles

Assessing age invariance of the Male Depression Risk Scale-22 in younger and older adult males

Objectives Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder as men. Yet suicide rates are four times higher in men than women, increasing to six times when comparing older men to older women. Investigators have begun researching if depression presents differently in individuals who adhere to masculine norms, leading to the conceptualization of masculine depression. Despite validity evidence for the Male Depression Risk Scale-22 (MDRS-22) in mixed-age samples, few studies have investigated the possibility of age-related differences in masculine depression. The present study aimed to test for age invariance of the MDRS-22. Method Age invariance for the MDRS-22 was tested via a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis with groups of younger (18–64 years) and older (65+ years) males (N = 469). Results Age invariance for the MDRS-22 was not established, ΔX2 = 451.47, Δdf = 16, p < 0.001. Conclusion Results of the study indicate that masculine depression may present differently between younger and older men. To fully understand the construct of masculine depression, it is important to investigate how symptoms may present in individuals of all ages. Overall, the study highlights the importance of investigating how masculine depression may present differently in older men.

Pathological Traits and Interpersonal Difficulties in Depressed Older Adults: Clinical versus Community Sampling

Personality pathology, represented by high neuroticism and low agreeableness in the Five Factor Model of Personality, has been identified as a predictor of depression in mixed-age samples and preliminary studies of older adults. Research on older people, however, has not examined the differential impact of pathological personality traits and processes on depression or examined them across treatment settings. This secondary analysis examined personality traits and processes as predictors of depression, evaluated the moderating effect of interpersonal problems, and assessed stratification of these personality variables across community and clinical settings. Older adults (N=395) ranging in age from 55 to 99 (M = 72.06; SD = 10.10) from inpatient psychiatric, outpatient medical, and community settings completed self-report measures of personality traits (NEO-FFI Agreeableness and Neuroticism), processes (Inventory of Interpersonal Problems), and depression (GDS-30). Higher neuroticism predicted worsened depressive symptoms (β = .765, p < .001), as did lower agreeableness (β = -.163, p = .002) and more interpersonal problems (β = .459, p < .001). Findings partially supported the stratification of personality traits and processes by setting. Interpersonal problems moderated neither the neuroticism-depression or agreeableness-depression relationships. Personality traits and processes predict depression in older adults across care settings but do not significantly interact. Levels of pathological traits and processes vary across community and clinical settings.

Using network analysis to compare diagnosis-specific and age-specific symptom networks in eating disorders.

The network theory of mental disorders conceptualizes eating disorders (EDs) as networks of interacting symptoms. Network analysis studies in EDs mostly have examined transdiagnostic and/or mixed age samples. The aim of our study was to investigate similarities and differences of networks in adolescents and adults with anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN). Participants were 2,535 patients (n=991 adults with AN, n=821 adolescents with AN, n=473 adults with BN, and n=250 adolescents with BN) who completed the Eating Disorder Inventory-2. Twenty-seven items were selected. Cross-sectional networks were estimated via Joint Graphical Lasso. Core symptoms were identified using strength centrality. Spearman correlations and network comparison tests (NCTs) were used to compare groups. Across diagnoses and ages, feeling ineffective, desire to be thinner, worries that feelings will get out of control, guilt after overeating as well as doing things perfectly emerged as most central symptoms. There were moderate to high correlations between symptom profiles (0.62-0.97, mean: 0.78) as well as high correlations between network structures (0.83-0.93, mean: 0.87) and network strengths (0.73-0.95, mean: 0.85). Global strength significantly differed in two of the six NCTs, and 2.5-10% of edges differed between networks. Considerable similarities in network structures and strengths across diagnoses and ages speak in favor of the transdiagnostic approach to EDs. Besides drive for thinness, ineffectiveness, emotion regulation difficulties, and perfectionism might be the most consistent factors in ED networks. These symptoms as well as their symptom connections should be especially focused in treatment regardless of age and diagnosis.

Longevity can mask low Nb if only Ne of mixed-age samples is estimated in threatened and mobile species

Knowing about a threatened species’ effective population size (Ne) is vital to assess population trends and guide conservation efforts. Highly mobile and migratory species are some of the most threatened yet hardest to monitor groups. Recently, a conversion has been proposed to convert estimates of the effective number of breeders (Nb) to Ne using two life history traits. We evaluated current methods to estimate Nb and Ne to inform conservation management using the black-fronted tern/tarapirohe (Chlidonias albostriatus) as a case study. Black-fronted terns are endangered, highly mobile and traditional monitoring methods have proven difficult. Based on 17 microsatellites and extensive sampling throughout the breeding range, we estimated mean Nb ca. 700 based on sibship assignment and linkage disequilibrium (LD) methods. Mean estimates of LD Ne based on the conversion of Nb and two life history traits was 668, while LD Ne based on samples of chicks and adults was 3216. The low ratio of Nb/Ne when using the Ne estimate based on mixed-age samples is probably driven by a combination of Nb being more sensitive to the large recruitment failure of individuals, large variation compared to mean reproductive success between same-age and same-sex individuals, and the ongoing overall population decline. We highlight that in relatively long-lived and threatened species, a combination of Nband Ne estimates are more appropriate to assess the population status rather than solely relying on Neof mixed-age samples. For black-fronted terns, we recommend increased conservation management and genetic monitoring based on Nb and Ne.

The effects of interventions preventing self-harm and suicide in children and adolescents: an overview of systematic reviews.

Background:Self-harm and suicide in children and adolescents are of serious consequence and increase during the adolescent years. Consequently, there is need for interventions that prevent such behaviour. The objective of this paper: to evaluate the effects of interventions preventing self-harm and suicide in children and adolescents in an overview of systematic reviews. Methods:We conducted an overview of systematic reviews (OoO). We included reviews evaluating any preventive or therapeutic intervention. The methodological quality of the included reviews was assessed independently, and data was extracted by two reviewers. We report the review findings descriptively. The certainty of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). Results:Moderate certainty evidence suggests that school-based interventions prevent suicidal ideation and attempts short term, and possibly suicide attempts long term. The effects of community-based interventions following suicide clusters and local suicide plans are unknown, as are the benefits and harms of screening young people for suicide risk. The effects of most interventions targeting children and adolescents with known self-harm are unknown. However, low certainty evidence suggests that dialectical behavioural therapy and developmental group therapy are equally as effective on repetition of self-harm as enhanced treatment as usual. Conclusions:Research on several recommended practices, such as local suicide plans, prevention of suicide clusters and approaches to risk assessment, is lacking. When such interventions are implemented, the effects should be closely evaluated. There is also need for more research on treatment of repeated self-harm. Further research should include long term follow-up, and investigate possible adverse effects. In prevention of self-harm and suicide in children and adolescents, policy makers and health providers should consider evidence from population-based studies with mixed-age samples, adult samples, and studies on conditions associated with self-harm and/or suicidality, such as depression and psychosis. PROSPERO registration: CRD4201911794208/02/19.

Effects of Overlapping Generations on Linkage Disequilibrium Estimates of Effective Population Size

Use of single-sample genetic methods to estimate effective population size has skyrocketed in recent years. Although the underlying models assume discrete generations, they are widely applied to age-structured species. We simulated genetic data for 21 iteroparous animal and plant species to evaluate two untested hypotheses regarding performance of the single-sample method based on linkage disequilibrium (LD): (1) estimates based on single-cohort samples reflect the effective number of breeders in one reproductive cycle (Nb), and (2) mixed-age samples reflect the effective size per generation (Ne). We calculated true Ne and Nb, using the model species’ vital rates, and verified these with individual-based simulations. We show that single-cohort samples should be equally influenced by Nb and Ne and confirm this with simulated results: was a linear (r2 = 0.98) function of the harmonic mean of Ne and Nb. We provide a quantitative bias correction for raw based on the ratio Nb/Ne, which can be estimated from two or three simple life history traits. Bias-adjusted estimates were within 5% of true Nb for all 21 study species and proved robust when challenged with new data. Mixed-age adult samples produced downwardly biased estimates in all species, which we attribute to a two-locus Wahlund effect (mixture LD) caused by combining parents from different cohorts in a single sample. Results from this study will facilitate interpretation of rapidly accumulating genetic estimates in terms of both Ne (which influences long-term evolutionary processes) and Nb (which is more important for understanding eco-evolutionary dynamics and mating systems).

Characteristics of Hoarding in Older Adults

This study determined the clinical characteristics of late-life hoarding disorder (HD). Older adults (age 60 and older) with HD (n= 55) and without psychiatric diagnoses (n= 39) were compared on psychiatric, functional, cognitive, and health-related measures. Associations between age and clinical characteristics in a large sample of mixed age (n= 210; age range: 20-78) participants with HD were also determined. Individuals with late-life HD were characterized by substantial impairments in psychiatric, functional, cognitive, and medical status. Health risks (e.g., risks of falls and fire) were also common. However, older age was generally not associated with increased severity of hoarding or other clinical correlates (with the exception of one global clinician-rated measure of severity). Late-life HD is characterized by considerable morbidity and health risks, and these characteristics may be consistent across the lifespan in cross-sectional mixed-age samples of individuals with HD.

Evolution of groundwater age in a mountain watershed over a period of thirteen years

We compile a unique 13-year record of groundwater age for 11 springs in Sagehen basin, a watershed in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, USA. Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and tritium (3H) data collected in prior studies from 1997 to 2003 are re-interpreted and combined with new data collected in 2009 and 2010. The age record is analyzed to explore the potential value of groundwater age monitoring for (1) providing additional constraints on the age distribution in mixed-age samples, and (2) identifying temporal changes in groundwater recharge. Motivation for this study is provided by a lack of knowledge of how groundwater recharge and discharge (stream baseflow) in mountain watersheds might respond to climate change, and a resulting need to better understand mountain aquifer residence times, storage, and recharge. Piston-flow ages for the springs generally range from 10 to 50yr. The plausibility of different age mixing models is tested by comparing observed temporal variations in age with those simulated using simple numerical models, and by examining plots comparing the concentrations of different age tracers. We find that most spring waters are best characterized by a bimodal mixing model consisting of a new (<1yr old) fraction and a fraction that is older, but still modern (recharged after 1950). Identification of this mixing model would not have been possible without data from multiple age tracers and data from multiple years. Computed mean ages vary substantially (often by 3–7yr) between sampling events for most springs, including those with ages of 20–50yr. Mean age variations are likely controlled by variations in the magnitude of the new fraction, which is positively correlated with annual snowpack water content. Most springs show overall upward trends in mean age for the sampling period, consistent with decreasing recharge rates in response to diminishing snowpack. Groundwater age monitoring appears to be a potentially valuable tool for both constraining the age distribution in sampled waters and investigating recharge transients.

Trauma and Stress Among Older Adults in the Criminal Justice System: A Review of the Literature with Implications for Social Work

The purpose of this article was to review the empirical literature that investigated trauma and stress among older adults in the criminal justice system. Nineteen journal articles published between 1988 and 2010 were identified and extracted via research databases and included mixed age samples of adjudicated older and younger adults (n = 11) or older adult only samples (n = 8). Findings revealed past and current trauma and stress, consequences and/or correlates, and internal and external coping resources among aging offenders. The implications and future directions for gerontological social work, research, and policy with older adults in the criminal justice system are advanced.

Are Gay Men in Worse Mental Health than Heterosexual Men? The Role of Age, Shame and Guilt, and Coming-Out

Previous studies reporting that gay individuals are in worse mental health than heterosexuals have typically employed young or mixed-age samples, ignoring the role of age. Mental health problems may show greater age-related improvement among gay than heterosexual men as indicated by the findings of the present study. In this study, the following indices of mental health are examined, and found to be comparable, among 86 heterosexual and 81 gay men aged 18–48: depression, suicidality, anger, anxiety, negative self-esteem, emotional instability, and lack of emotional responsiveness. Most indices show age-related effects among gay men, with less severe symptoms reported by older individuals. Among heterosexual men, effects of age are less widespread, although older men do report fewer symptoms of anger. Chronic shame and chronic guilt are related to mental health problems and a lessening in shame accounted, in part, for the age-related decline in depression among gay men. Different approaches to disclosing/concealing sexual identity are also linked with shame, guilt, and mental health among gay men.

Kinematic structure in the young σ Orionis association

Abstract We have used precise radial velocity measurements for a large number of candidate low-mass stars and brown dwarfs to show that the young σ Ori ‘cluster’ consists of two spatially superimposed components which are kinematically separated by 7 km s−1 in radial velocity, and which have different mean ages. We examine the relationship of these two kinematic groups to other populations in the Orion OB1 association, and briefly discuss the consequence of mixed age samples for ongoing investigations of the formation and evolution of low-mass objects in this much-observed region.

Comorbidity Study Results Called Into Question

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Clinical & Research NewsFull AccessComorbidity Study Results Called Into QuestionRich DalyRich DalySearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:18 Aug 2006https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.41.16.0028Frequent use in psychiatric comorbidity research of lifetime prevalence with mixed-age samples can often produce inaccurate results, several researchers maintain.Future comorbidity studies that use lifetime prevalence should require determination of age of onset, even if only retrospectively, according to a paper published in the June Archives of General Psychiatry titled“ Lifetime Prevalence and Pseudocomorbidity in Psychiatric Research.”One of the authors, Chris Hayward, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and director of clinical services at Stanford University, said the article was a recognition that comorbidity in psychiatric illness is an important issue that is drawing increasing amounts of research. However, the increasing use of mixed-age samples in estimating comorbidity could lead to misleading conclusions about the extent of comorbidity.“We have a methodological concern that applies to many current studies in which comorbidity is estimated,” he told Psychiatric News.The methodological concern about estimates of comorbidity applies to the use of lifetime prevalence rates for two disorders in mixed-age samples. The authors created a simulated example to demonstrate that even in cases of randomly associated disorders the use of lifetime prevalence with mixed-age samples creates the appearance of nonrandom comorbidity.Although Hayward declined to identify specific examples of problem studies that have been published, the authors reported that the use of lifetime prevalence to estimate comorbidity is very common, which could put the results of many such studies in serious question.`Be Suspicious'“One of the major contributions of this article by Kraemer and colleagues is to alert investigators (and readers) to be suspicious about lifetime prevalence or lifetime history studies,” James Anthony, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Michigan State University, said in an interview with Psychiatric News.“ Apparently, each generation of psychiatric investigators needs to be reminded that estimation and study of `lifetime prevalence' and `lifetime history' are fraught with perilous difficulties and are best avoided.”Although the authors said no perfect solution for avoiding pseudocomorbidity exists, one possible way to avoid pseudocomorbidity is to estimate comorbidity in narrower age ranges.Smaller age intervals are “the best in terms of reducing the bias, but the smaller the age grouping, the less generalizable the results are, because they become more and more narrowly applicable only to people in that age range,” Hayward said.For example, the National Comorbidity Study (NCS) used 10-year age groupings as part of its design. Although Hayward and the other paper authors found no evidence that NCS researchers used the more narrow age groupings to try to address pseudocomorbidity, the NCS approach was viewed as a good way to avoid pseudocomorbidity problems.Solution Not SatisfactoryThe pseudocomorbidity problem is further reduced with more narrow age groupings, but studies that limit participation to same-age participants are“ not a very feasible solution because you can apply the estimate of comorbidity only to people of that age,” Hayward said.Other approaches could include following a group of people of the same age over time.The use of age of onset, even in a cross-sectional study, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves would allow researchers to show the comorbidity at each age because they would have the age of onset for the two disorders being studied by age.The largest obstacle to the revised approach suggested by the paper's authors, Anthony said, is that it may require a huge boost in the sample-size requirements for epidemiological research on psychiatric comorbidity.“Necessarily, unless the goal is to produce a stratum-specific estimate only for one to five birth cohorts, the net result of the published recommendation is to move the budget for a national comorbidity survey well beyond the scope of the currently available [National Institutes of Health] budget for such research,” Anthony said.Problems can arise over the accuracy of age of onset, particularly for disorders that have early onset and when older participants are asked about the past. Hayward maintains that the age-of-onset approach is preferable to no effort to address the problem.Good estimates of comorbidity can also be found through longitudinal studies that follow participants over time and calculate comorbidity at any given age, with estimates varying by age.The presence of pseudocomorbidity impacts both researchers and clinicians if disorders thought to involve shared factors or to be caused by another disorder were actually unrelated.Misinterpreting study results to find comorbidity where there is none may lead to an entire line of research that tries to explain why the disorders are comorbid, when it's very possible they are not comorbid at all.Pseudocomorbidity also may lead clinicians to make assumptions about the risk for developing a second disorder when little or no risk actually exists.An abstract of “Lifetime Prevalence and Pseudocomorbidity in Psychiatric Research” is posted at<http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/63/6/604>.▪ ISSUES NewArchived

Lifetime Prevalence and Pseudocomorbidity in Psychiatric Research

Comorbidity is the rule rather than the exception with psychiatric disorders and is consequently of great interest to both researchers and clinicians. However, many studies of psychiatric comorbidity have been based on lifetime prevalence with mixed-age samples, a practice that (1) biases the assessment of epidemiologic comorbidity and (2) creates the appearance of comorbidity even when disorders are randomly associated. This bias is what we refer to as pseudocomorbidity. To clarify the source of the problem and to discuss strategies that might be adopted to deal hereafter with lifetime prevalence data. A simulated example is presented to show that even when there is only random association between disorders, there will appear to be nonrandom comorbidity when lifetime prevalence is used with mixed-age samples. An actual example relating psychosis to phobia is presented to show the bias that can result and to illustrate one way of dealing with lifetime prevalence data. Use of lifetime prevalence with mixed-age samples, used almost exclusively in psychiatric research, generates problematic results, especially when used for assessment of comorbidity, and should be viewed with some skepticism. Hereafter, we recommend that any future use of lifetime prevalence should require determination of the age of onset, even if only by retrospective report. Comorbidity then should be reported by age.

3H/3He age data in assessing the susceptibility of wells to contamination

Regulatory agencies are becoming increasingly interested in using young-ground water dating techniques, such as the 3H/3He method, in assessing the susceptibility of public supply wells (PSWs) to contamination. However, recent studies emphasize that ground water samples of mixed age may be the norm, particularly from long-screened PSWs, and tracer-based "apparent" ages can differ substantially from actual mean ages for mixed-age samples. We present age and contaminant data from PSWs in Salt Lake Valley, Utah, that demonstrate the utility of 3H and 3He measurements in evaluating well susceptibility, despite potential age mixing. Initial 3H concentrations (measured 3H + measured tritiogenic 3He) are compared to those expected based on the apparent 3H/3He age and the local precipitation 3H record. This comparison is used to determine the amount of modern water (recharged after approximately 1950) vs. prebomb water (recharged before approximately 1950) samples might contain. Concentrations of common contaminants were also measured using detection limits generally lower than those used for regulatory purposes. A clear correlation exists between the potential magnitude of the modern water fraction and both the occurrence and concentration of contaminants. For samples containing dominantly modern water based on their initial 3H concentrations, potential discrepancies between apparent 3H/3He ages and mean ages are explored using synthetic samples that are random mixtures of different modern waters. Apparent ages can exceed mean ages by up to 13 years for these samples, with an exponential age distribution resulting in the greatest discrepancies.

Assessment and Psychological Treatment of Depression in Older Adults with Terminal or Life-Threatening Illness.

Depression decreases the quality of life and hinders efforts to palliate symptoms of adults with terminal or life-threatening illness. Nevertheless, depression often may go undetected and untreated in palliative care and hospice settings due to a number of factors, including the overlap of depressive symptoms with those of serious medical illness and concern that frail elderly patients cannot tolerate psychotherapy or antidepressant treatment. In this paper we review the available research regarding assessment and treatment of depression in older adults with terminal or life-threatening illness, focusing on patients who are seen in palliative care, cancer treatment, or hospice settings. Although the prevalence of depression is relatively high in these settings in mixed-age adult samples, studies focused exclusively on older adults are rare and there appear to be no randomized controlled trials of psychotherapy conducted to date that specifically address their needs. There are, however, promising psychological approaches featured in case reports and pilot studies that are consistent with empirically supported therapies for the general treatment of depression in older adults. Based on these preliminary findings and reports, we offer tentative recommendations for the assessment and treatment of depression in terminally ill older adults. We conclude that controlled research on psychotherapy for late-life depression is both feasible and urgently needed in palliative care, cancer care, and hospice settings.

Factors associated with recovery from and relapse into major depressive disorder in the elderly.

This research examined demographic, clinical, and family factors in elderly depressed patients in order to ascertain which ones were related to the patients' recovery from and relapse into major depression. One hundred twenty-seven elderly inpatients with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria were evaluated at hospital admission and followed prospectively for 1 year. At the time of each patient's admission, the spouse or an adult child was also interviewed with measures that examined family-related issues. Recovery and relapse were determined according to explicit criteria from the Longitudinal Interval Follow-Up Evaluation. No demographic or clinical characteristics of the patients were predictors of recovery or relapse. Three family variables measured at the time of the patients' hospitalization were prospectively related to patients' status as not recovered at follow-up: the spouses' and adult children's psychiatric symptoms, their reported difficulties in caring for the depressed older patients, and their poorer physical health. However, relatives' reported difficulties with patient care were associated with reduced likelihood of relapse among the subgroup of patients who actually did recover. The findings are consistent with research in mixed-age samples that has documented the influence of interpersonal factors on the course of depression.

Cyclic motility in the fetus & neonate: Investigation of an internal clock

Infant sleep problems have been the focus of a growing literature over the last few years. The current review is based on literature searches of Pubmed and PsycInfo for studies published over the last few years including randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses on infant sleep problems and resulting developmental effected, risk factors and interventions. Several risk/protective factors for sleep problems have been identified including health literacy, TV in the room, feeding, close contact and arousing activities at bedtime, intolerance for infant crying, co-sleeping, maternal depression and infant temperament. Cross-cultural differences have been noted both for infant sleep problems and parents’ perceived distress by those problems. A number of interventions have been tried to ameliorate infant sleep problems including consultations, teaching sessions on extinction and bedtime fading, internet-based interventions and nighttime massages by parents. Some of these studies have shown improvements and others have suggested only short-term or negligible effects. Significant methodological problems exist with this literature including the almost sole use of parent report as well as the mixed age samples and the potential confounding variables.